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1Engagement at Melbourne 2015–2020

2015–2020

ENGAGEMENTAT MELBOURNE

2 Engagement at Melbourne 2015–20202 Engagement at Melbourne 2015–2020

Preface 3

EngagementatMelbourne 4

Vision 6

Commitment1

Public value 8

Commitment2

Engaged students 11

Commitment3

Engaged research 14

Enablingstrategies 16

Photographer:AndrewCurtis

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INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

CONTENTS

3Engagement at Melbourne 2015–2020 3Engagement at Melbourne 2015–2020

The University of Melbourne’s enduring commitment to public contribution has seen its engagement with society evolve over the generations.

Since its founding, the University has held engagement as central to its values and purpose, ensuring that its ethos as a public spirited institution finds expression through all of its endeavours.

In recent years, the University has renewed its focus on the role and potential of engagement. Its place as the ‘third strand’ of our triple helix conception of institutional strategy—albeit one intimately bound with teaching and research—framed engagement as both an institution-wide approach underpinning the academic mission and as a distinct

Preface

portfolio of efforts building meaningful connections beyond the academy. This focus guides contemporary responses to the enduring question of how the University can best serve society, and live out its motto of ‘growing in the esteem of future generations’.

Fundamental changes are prompting universities globally to re-evaluate their relationships beyond the academy, as universities move to a more central place in the intellectual, economic and cultural life of their communities. The role and value of institutions engaging with the wider world has been emphatically affirmed, enriching the academic mission while deepening the public value that universities create.

In 2015, the University sets its course for addressing the challenges and opportunities of engagement, and bringing about a sustained outward shift to its institutional perspective. This will demand change to the University’s established ways of working, while retaining the values and practices that make the University’s contribution uniquely valuable.

This strategy expands upon the engagement elements set out in the University’s overarching strategy, Growing Esteem, detailing the commitments that will support its aspiration for engagement to become a defining feature of its institutional character. The truly integrated nature of effective engagement is reflected in the focus of this strategy, which applies the lens of engagement to the full breadth of the University’s endeavours. Our success in delivering this strategy depends vitally on the efforts of the entire University community.

By 2020, we envisage a university that stands as one of the finest in the world, distinguished by its demonstrated commitment to public value.

Mr Adrian Collette AM Vice-Principal(Engagement)

Professor Ian Anderson ProVice-Chancellor(Engagement)

An enduring commitment

Since its establishment more than 160 years ago, the University of Melbourne has forged an evolving public role. With an aspiration of ‘growing in the esteem of future generations’, the University carried the expectations of an emerging city to educate the professionals it needed, as well as leading many domains of public life.

To meet the city’s growing needs, the University expanded from its original Bachelor of Arts to create new courses in law, engineering and medicine. Beyond the campus, professors actively served the community as public intellectuals, writing for newspapers, editing journals and participating in civic life. The University’s sporting clubs established links with the wider community, while the campus gardens became a popular leisure destination for local residents. Some of Melbourne’s enduring cultural institutions can trace their origins to the University: State Library Victoria, the foundation stone of which was laid on the same day as that of the University in 1854; the National Museum (the predecessor to Museum Victoria), which was once housed at the Parkville campus; and the National Gallery Art School, now the Victorian College of the Arts, which was founded at Australia’s first public art museum.

Benefaction has long supported the University’s development. Many generous benefactors in the University’s early decades had little formal education themselves, but believed in the University’s social role in advancing

the moral and intellectual life of the city. Many of the buildings on campus in 2015—the Chemistry Building, Wilson Hall, the Grainger Museum, the Baillieu Library and the Beaurepaire Centre—reflect the deep and wide-ranging scope of ongoing philanthropic support for the University.

The University’s first salaried Vice-Chancellor, Raymond Priestley, regarded the relationship between universities and communities as one of the unresolved questions of the time. He advocated passionately and publicly for the interests of the University, as an institution that develops ‘the men and women who will lead the community of the future, the ideas upon which its future should be moulded, and the ideals by which its people shall be inspired’.1

Subsequent University leaders emphasised the pursuit of knowledge and its dissemination, and the importance of contributing to a global academic community. By the 1980s, the notion of a University with three roles was established: provision of education; the advancement of knowledge; and a contribution to the intellectual, cultural and social development of the community. This concept was at the core of the University’s 2005 strategy, Growing Esteem, which introduced the triple helix metaphor of three tightly bound priorities: research, learning and teaching, and knowledge transfer (later becoming ‘engagement’).

A changing context

Engagement encompasses the interactions between the academy and wider society, for the enrichment of both. For a decade, the University has positioned this ‘third strand’ as an explicit element of its character and strategy, formalising a public commitment made at the University’s founding.

As the concept and practice of engagement have matured, so too has recognition of its value to the University. The broadening mission of universities, coupled with new expectations of the established roles of teaching and research, has sharpened the focus on engagement as a quality that is fundamental to the public relevance and sustainability of the academic enterprise. This focus will continue to grow and mature as expectations of engaged universities are embedded in government policy, student choice and global rankings.

As Growing Esteem observes, ‘Now, more than ever, a great university is global in impact and influence.’ Our institutional outlook is global, reflecting the diversity and ambitions of our students and staff, and the global platforms for leading research and innovation. This need not imply a global presence, but extends to the reach of our ideas, the preparation of our graduates as ‘global citizens’, and the capacity to engage internationally with universities, governments and industry.

Engagement at Melbourne

Onceregardedasanunresolvedquestionofitstime,therelationshipbetweenuniversitiesandthecommunitiestheyservehasshapeduniversitiesforeachgeneration.

4 Engagement at Melbourne 2015–2020

Against new expectations of public contribution has come an increasing reliance of Australia’s public universities on private and competitive funding. In this context, engagement has become vital to connecting universities with non-academic partners that bring complementary skills, resources and ambitions, enriching the value of teaching and research.

In part, this reflects the changing role of universities in the digital age. Universities that aspire to excellence and public contribution are increasingly collaborators in wider systems, connecting with minds and resources from a range of sectors to apply and advance knowledge. In an era marked by the democratisation of knowledge, those universities most ably equipped to engage in partnerships—adept at discovering, sharing, and exploiting knowledge— will emerge as leaders. Engagement is a valuable organisational capability, ensuring the University’s students, staff and systems have the agility, enterprise and direction to participate and thrive in a truly global endeavour.

A new direction

The breadth of endeavour encompassed within engagement has, at times, challenged the University’s established systems, structures and ways of working. Guided by a belief in the potential of engagement, and encouraged by its successes, the University is now strongly placed to offer a contemporary response to Raymond Priestley’s question.

As ever, the University’s academic mission must be central to our engagement efforts, both in leading the agenda and being shaped by it. Our engagement efforts will focus on where the University has distinctive contributions to make and where the benefits are compelling. These will necessarily span the local, national and global communities the University serves, both in the focus and conduct of our work.

This strategy builds upon an engagement tradition that extends beyond 160 years. While acknowledging the value and achievements of the University’s established engagement practice, the focus of the strategy is on directions for change. These changes span new programs and initiatives, as well as systemic changes that can shift the orientation of the University towards a more engaged future.

1 RE Priestley & RT Ridley, 1940–2002, The Diary of a Vice-Chancellor : University of Melbourne 1935–1938, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, p. 481.


Photographer:JamesMitchelhill

Photographer:PeterCasamento

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ABOVE: YOTHU YINDI FOUNDATION PARTNERSHIP

LEFT: ADDRESSING THE GRAND CHALLENGES

PUBLIC�VALUE

ENABLERS

ENGAGED�STUDENTS

ENGAGED��RESEARCH


As engagement matures as an institutional practice, it will become embedded within our structures, systems, culture and identity. Its purpose and value will be shared across the University and understood as part of our enduring commitment to relevance and public value.

We will recognise engagement as fundamental to our success as a public university seeking to advance and share knowledge in a context characterised by collaborative approaches to global challenges and punctuated by disruption. We will evaluate our engagement performance and celebrate our successes alongside teaching and research, recognising the value created by the alignment of all three.

Our efforts to realise this vision will be guided by three commitments to deepening the relevance and impact of our academic mission across the local, national and global domains of our work.

Public value: A commitment to public value underpins our academic mission, shapes our operating practices, and guides our contributions to intellectual, cultural, social and economic life.

Engaged students: A University of Melbourne education prepares graduates for lives of professional contribution, leadership and active citizenship as engaged alumni.

Engaged research: As a comprehensive, research-intensive and globally engaged university, the University of Melbourne engages beyond the academy to enrich its research and share advances that shape the world.

Our commitments to engagement will be enabled by aligning our internal environment with our ambition, investing in our people, facilitating rich exchanges with the wider world, engaging our community of alumni and supporters, and positioning engagement distinctively within the University’s public profile.

Our vision will only be achieved by recognising engagement as an institutional ethos, shared throughout the University community. An operating plan will guide implementation across the institution, outlining accountabilities and coordinating roles within our operating structures. An annual report will chart our progress and capture the conversation about engagement at the University of Melbourne.

By 2020, the University of Melbourne will shape its priorities, conduct its work and evaluate its success through the lens of engagement.

Vision


Photographer:LanceVunofCameralance

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NGV LEARNING PARTNERSHIP

Engagement at Melbourne 2015–20208

Our commitment to public value manifests in the experiences and outlook of our graduates, and in the focus and ambition of our research.

While engagement is anchored in these established university roles, the notion of a distinct ‘third strand’ of endeavour, encompassing the interactions between the institution and wider society, brings into focus a diverse complement of efforts that are fundamental to our public role and identity. These span our active institutional citizenship, cultural enterprise, outreach to communities of place and interest, and contribution to public policy and debate, and are united by a shared purpose of public value and clear judgment of the relevance and impact of the University’s contribution.

The concept of ‘public value’2 reflects the University’s public-spirited ethos. While this notion extends to our traditional teaching and research roles, its focus on the value the University creates with and for the communities it serves has a particular resonance with the ‘third strand’ of engagement.

This portfolio will evolve as needs and expectations change and new opportunities for contribution emerge.

We will pursue priorities that harness the full breadth of the University’s capabilities, as well as creating environments that support academic divisions, staff and students in their efforts to initiate and expand contributions in their fields. Our contributions will vary in nature across different geographies, reflecting our identity as an Australian institution with a global outlook and aspiration.

The University has a particular opportunity and expectation to enrich the life and wellbeing of Melbourne and the regions it serves. These communities are vital to sustaining the University as a vibrant and enjoyable place to study, work and engage. We will continue investing in our cultural and public engagement programs and working with alliances of partners towards comprehensive place-based agendas.

As an Australian public institution that is home to nationally significant academic capabilities and cultural collections, the University has a responsibility to contribute to national priorities. This includes leading policy conversations that are shaping the nation: from policy responses to asylum seekers, to the sustainability challenge and closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.

From its Victorian campuses, the University continues an established practice of global engagement. Much of this is through established channels for academic engagement: collaborating with international partners on global research programs and building an increasingly bilateral flow of students. Yet the University’s capabilities can also support targeted international engagement, where our academic contribution can serve particular communities abroad.

Our commitment to public value must be reflected in how we work as much as through the work we do. Our operations must reflect our values of fairness, diversity, environmental sustainability and active citizenship.

Alongside engagement led by students, staff and academic divisions, the University will invest in six keystone engagement programs (KEPs). These will bring a shared institutional focus to programs developed with our external constituents. Each program will have a clear purpose and evaluation criteria, with some building on established efforts and relationships while others represent new endeavours. The University will pursue at least one program for each of its public value objectives, with each program aligned to Growing Esteem.

Commitment 1 Public value

A commitment to public value underpins our academic mission, shapes our operating practices, and guides our contributions to intellectual, cultural, social and economic life.

2 As articulated in MH Moore, 1995, Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.

PUBLIC VALUE

Photographer:PeterCasamento

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INDIGENOUS RECOGNITION

Engagement at Melbourne 2015–2020 9

Commitment 1 Public value

Meeting our commitment

Lead and influence public conversations and policy development

I. Support our academic community and the wider public to understand and participate in global conversations through our network of internationally focused institutes and initiatives, including AsiaLink, the Australia India Institute, the European Union Centre on Shared Complex Challenges and the Nossal Institute for Global Health.

II. Establish a Melbourne global health and development hub of non-government organisations, research institutions and private interests in the Melbourne precinct who share a commitment to global health and development.

KEP 01: An Influential Public Policy Precinct

This program will position the University at the centre of one of Australia’s most influential policy precincts. We will draw upon our established academic capabilities, including the Melbourne School of Government, the Centre for Advancing Journalism, the Melbourne Institute for Applied Economic and Social Research, our interdisciplinary Melbourne Research Institutes, many specialist research centres, as well as our partnerships with The Conversation, the Grattan Institute and the Australian and New Zealand School of Government.

Contribute distinctively to the intellectual, economic, and social advancement of Victoria

KEP 03: Engaged Campus Neighbourhoods

This program will strengthen our civic contribution to the communities in our immediate precincts. It aims to engage constructively with campus neighbourhoods and local governments, recognising that our locality is part of our appeal as a place to learn, work and engage. The University will develop shared goals to align our efforts with community aspirations.

KEP 02: Engaging Melbourne’s West

The program aims to advance economic and social development priorities in the west of Melbourne. This region has significant potential; it comprises 20 per cent of the population of metropolitan Melbourne and is growing rapidly. However, it also faces pressing socio-economic challenges. The University will build upon its established presence and relationships in the region, designing a program to support cooperative efforts to advance prosperity, health and equity in the region. To shape this role, the University will work closely with established institutions, including partner hospitals, tertiary education providers, governments and peak bodies.

KEP 04: Goulburn Valley

This transformative, place-based program aims to advance our partnership with the Goulburn Valley to support social, cultural and economic development. With the Committee for Greater Shepparton, the Algabonyah Regional Indigenous Forum and other partners, the University shares a commitment to a long-term agenda to further education, research, workforce, health and cultural and creative industries in the region.

I. Engage our industry, government and community partners in a shared-value agenda, recognising that the most complex public challenges can only be effectively addressed by participating in, and leading, cooperative efforts harnessing contributions from institutions in each sector.

II. Articulate a social compact that expresses the University’s commitment to developing relationships with communities of place and interest, providing a framework for engagement and setting core principles for developing mutually beneficial, multilateral partnerships.

III. Facilitate policy discussions that bring together academic expertise, policy makers and other stakeholders to bring new insight to complex policy challenges, including through the Melbourne Economic Forum and leadership in higher education policy fora.

IV. Establish the Pathway to Politics Program for Women, a non-partisan initiative that will develop an annual cohort of female graduate students and alumnae who aspire to elected office at local, state and national levels.


I. Develop the Southbank campus to place the University at the centre of a dynamic cultural and performing arts precinct.

II. Partner with cultural institutions such as Australian Centre for the Moving Image, the National Gallery of Victoria, Museum Victoria and State Library Victoria to ensure the University remains an integral part of the city’s cultural life.

III. Establish Science Gallery in Australia, an international platform for engaging the public on the collision of art and science and stimulating research outcomes.

IV. Establish the University of Melbourne Art Museums, including the Ian Potter Museum of Art and the Michael Buxton Centre of Contemporary Art, engaging scholars and audiences through Australia’s finest university art collection.

V. Establish Cultural Collisions, a biennial event that brings together scholarly symposia, research, visual and performing arts, to animate our campus and extend the reach and value of our University collections.

VI. Provide leadership on best-practice policies and procedures for the use, care and management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage through the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Oversight Committee.

VII. Extend creative industries research and work-integrated learning opportunities through collaboration with international cultural organisations.

VIII. Extend our audiences and international reach through collaborative programming with the Melbourne Festival, Sydney Opera House, the Wheeler Centre and venues overseas in collaboration with alumni and partners.

I. Ensure our staff recruitment, development and progression policies and practices reflect our active commitment to fairness and diversity, and publicly report and recognise our progress.

II. Establish the University as a model of sustainability, to be detailed in our first Sustainability Charter, canvassing our campus operations, curriculum, research activities, procurement and investment.

KEP 05: Cultural Impact

The University has the potential to realise significant cultural impact through our thought leadership, research and education programs. We will embed a more strategic approach to cultural engagement, aligned with the University’s vision for research excellence with impact and a transformative student experience. By building an evidence base for cultural impact, the University will guide decision-making in the cultural and creative industries.

KEP 06: Reconciliation Action Plan

The University will implement its second Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The plan will guide efforts to advance reconciliation across the institution, spanning the student experience, outreach and pathways, student accommodation, research, cultural enterprise, operations and public engagement. Progress towards the RAP will be publicly reported each year.

Contribute distinctively to the cultural life of Melbourne and our regions

Express our values through our operations

Meeting our commitment (continued) Commitment 1 Public value

III. Actively facilitate socially minded organisational service by expanding staff volunteering that aligns with institutional priorities and established partner organisations.


The University’s public contribution is shaped by the more than 17,000 students who graduate and join our alumni community each year.

Over the past decade, the University has reshaped its curriculum to establish a distinctive model and ethos that prepares graduates to be professionals, leaders and citizens. The opportunity now is to further enrich the student experience through engagement, deepening professional preparation and developing students for lives of leadership and active citizenship.

Our undergraduate programs develop graduates with both disciplinary knowledge and the capacity to evaluate issues from alternative perspectives. Rather than a diversion from professional preparation, this capacity develops the attributes of greatest professional value: understanding and awareness of self, critical and creative thinking, effective communication and demonstrated leadership and collaborative behaviours. Our graduate programs place a strong focus on professional preparation and research studies, underpinned by industry partnerships and a professionally minded cohort of graduate students.

Over the next five years, the University will build upon these established models to achieve its ambition to lead the nation in the employment outcomes of undergraduate and graduate students. To achieve this, we will expand work-integrated learning experiences for students through internships, applied research projects and career placements. We will also invest in developing new curriculum, teaching capabilities and delivery methods to ensure that the Melbourne experience is recognised as providing superior graduate preparation.

As a public-spirited institution, the University offers an experience that reflects a commitment to active citizenship. This recognises that active citizenship is not a marginal endeavour, but a purpose best developed through practice. Through its curriculum and wider student experience—encompassing the University’s cultural institutions, student associations, sport, colleges and alumni

engagement programs—the University is strongly placed to affirm active citizenship as a distinctive attribute of Melbourne graduates.

Engagement also holds great potential for enriching the learning experience of our students. The expansion of object-based learning, leveraging the University’s unique cultural collections, demonstrates the learning opportunities created by innovative curriculum and pedagogy. The growth in the number of students undertaking an experience abroad as part of their degree will continue, recognising the value of cross-cultural engagement to the student experience.

Critically, the Melbourne experience is one to be shared by the most talented students, irrespective of their background. Our commitment to social equity is enacted through our outreach, recruitment, admissions, scholarships and student support, with our performance publicly reported, evaluated and refined.

Commitment 2 Engaged students

A University of Melbourne education prepares graduates for lives of professional contribution, leadership and active citizenship as engaged alumni.

ENGAGED STUDENTS

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OBJECT-BASED LEARNING



I. Expand work-integrated learning experiences for students including internships, volunteering, university-based research projects and graduate placement, particularly at graduate level.

II. Support professional advisory boards for every graduate school to ensure our programs offer superior professional preparation.

III. Foster the growth of a vibrant environment to inspire entrepreneurship around the University, providing curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for students to develop entrepreneurial skills and build new ventures.

IV. Expand alumni–student mentorship programs across the University to facilitate stronger employment outcomes and a greater understanding of the student–alumni journey.

Cultivate learning environments that support students to develop the attributes, insights and experiences to sustain successful professional lives

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ENRICHED CURRICULUM


Develop graduates with a practised commitment to active citizenship and creating public value

I. Improve student participation in curricular and co-curricular engagement opportunities, support and expand the opportunities available, and align these with our institutional public value initiatives where possible.

II. Expand our support for student-led social entrepreneurship, through mentoring, student clubs and societies, grants, partnerships with residential colleges and a supportive campus environment.

III. Embed in our programs engagement with contemporary local, national and global issues, deepening students’ understanding and respect for Indigenous knowledge and culture, the Asian region, and the sustainability imperative.

IV. Establish a Student Leaders in Sport program, developing leadership capabilities across the University’s sports clubs through a program of mentoring and societal engagement.

Commitment 2 Engaged students

Enrich the learning experience and deepen our public relevance and impact by continuously innovating in our programs, curriculum, delivery and pedagogy

I. Prepare and support our students to undertake an international experience as part of their degree, with graduate schools finding the best mix of domestic and international opportunities for their particular cohorts.

II. Enrich students’ experience and understanding of different cultures, eras and ideas by drawing upon our extensive collections in object-based learning.

III. Expand our offering of professionally focused online programs and continuing professional education, with content and structure designed to meet professional needs, as well as strengthening our community education offerings.

IV. Explore the potential to introduce an advanced leadership program to support established professionals who have a demonstrated commitment to public service, assisting them to transition their careers towards public priorities.

Align our efforts in outreach, admissions, scholarships, student support and alumni relations with our engagement agenda, realising our ambition to be the Australian university of choice for the most talented students, irrespective of their background

I. Engage with students in equity priority groups and their communities to build capacity, aspiration and pathways for higher education.

II. Establish an Indigenous student accommodation program aligned with the Reconciliation Action Plan to significantly enhance the residential options for our growing cohort of Indigenous students, supported by a program to enrich the academic and social experience of Indigenous students.

III. Support our students from equity priority groups and international students to participate more fully in engagement experiences (including internationally) within and outside the curriculum, recognising the particular needs and priorities of these cohorts.

IV. Report the University’s progress towards achieving our staff and student equity objectives through the Social Inclusion Barometer, a public report prepared biennially.


Commitment 3 Engaged research

As a comprehensive, research-intensive and globally engaged university, the University of Melbourne engages beyond the academy to enrich our research and share advances that shape the world.

Our research strategy to 2025, Research at Melbourne, sets a course for a more engaged research enterprise.

This reflects changes in our research context: collaborative approaches are becoming standard for researching complex, global challenges, while public funding for research is uncertain. The strategy also introduced the Grand Challenges, leveraging our disciplinary excellence through institutional priorities that reflect social imperatives: understanding our place and purpose, fostering health and wellbeing, and supporting sustainability and resilience.

This research strategy continues to guide investments to support interdisciplinary and collaborative research, including developing the network of Melbourne Research Institutes and Hallmark Research Initiatives. We have also strengthened the professional capability that supports our research effort, recognising the distinct skills needed to deliver a

more deeply engaged research profile.

The University has a firm foundation from which to build. Our most established precinct, the Melbourne Biomedical and Biosciences Campus, is a renowned concentration of medical research and clinical practice. Our collaboration with medical research institutes, hospitals and commercial partners demonstrates the potential of deep and sustained engagement, enabling shared appointments and access to critical infrastructure. The development of the arts precinct at Southbank similarly affirms the value of co-location, strengthening our ties with many of Melbourne’s cultural and performing arts institutions, and enabling shared approaches to staff appointments, student experiences, infrastructure and programming.

Much of our future research success will depend on our capacity to engage with a diverse community of collaborators,

funders and end users. We will position the University as a valuable and effective research partner, capable of working within this broader knowledge system. A key measure of the extent of our engagement will be the scale of funding we receive from industry-focused and international sources, with the aim of doubling our performance by 2020.

Achieving this deliberately bold aspiration will demand new approaches. To work effectively with industry, we must expand our cadre of researchers whose experiences bridge industry and academic contexts, and build a culture that meaningfully connects our graduate research students with industry. Our professional support for research, innovation and commercialisation must also adapt to this environment, and be capable of facilitating engagement that positions the University as a professional and valued partner. Our capital developments will reflect this focus, with projects such as the Carlton Connect Initiative co-locating the University in precincts with complementary partners.

We will also engage the public more deeply with our research, recognising this as a critical element of our mission. Technological innovations are already deepening our engagement with the public, facilitating rich exchanges that enable the public to contribute directly to our research, including through citizen science.

ENGAGED RESEARCH

Photo:suppliedbyKatieMack

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UNEXPECTED CONNECTIONS THROUGH ENGAGEMENT


Be innovative in our approaches to engaging the public with our research

I. Appoint, develop and recognise academic and honorary scholars with a demonstrated capacity to engage the wider public with research and scholarship.

II. Support innovative approaches to engaging the public more deeply with our research mission through support for citizen research initiatives, digital platforms, access to publications, and demonstrations of our work through our campuses, public exhibits and partnerships.

III. Embed new digital measures of the reach and engagement of our research into our evaluation of public engagement efforts.


Pursue research that addresses the social, economic and environmental challenges of our time, where the University can lead global efforts in excellence, innovation, relevance and impact, and pursue research that advances priorities of local and national significance

I. Cultivate an environment that enables us to leverage disciplinary excellence through innovative approaches, guided by the needs of the work and its public purpose rather than traditional organisational structures.

II. Develop our research priorities and programs, informed by government, community and industry needs and insights.

III. Collaboratively develop research agendas that advance the issues of those regions and communities where the University has established partnerships.

IV. Play a central role in creating new industries and revitalising established sectors through the focus and conduct of our research, and shape policy that can sustain Australia’s prosperity and address the issues within its regions.

V. Stimulate innovative approaches to contemporary challenges and opportunities by partnering with key organisations across the creative industries to develop a centre for cultural impact.

Form partnerships and alliances with collaborators, supporters, industries and professions to focus, enrich and apply our research

I. Commit to embedding public engagement efforts within all University research proposals, in order to inform, consult and involve the public in research.

II. Establish and implement a comprehensive professional development program to support our academic staff to develop their engagement capabilities.

III. Implement a strengthened, scalable model of professional support for research, innovation and commercialisation, working alongside academic staff to facilitate engagement that enriches our work and positions the University as a professional and valued partner.

IV. Introduce new mechanisms to support and develop our intellectual property, building a more robust and commercially valuable portfolio and ensuring the substance and management of our research relationships are truly world-class.

V. Embed emerging means of evaluating our research engagement in established performance measures, and actively contribute to discussions on embedding these means more widely.

VI. Establish new models to support our graduate students to engage with industry as a formal element of their programs, including through mentoring, joint supervision and collaborative research projects.

Commitment 3 Engaged research


Enabling strategies

Our commitments to engagement will be enabled by investing in our people, aligning our internal environment with our ambition, facilitating rich exchanges beyond the academy, and engaging our community of alumni and supporters.

In pursuing our engagement agenda, we are making choices about our institutional character and our place within a wider higher education landscape.

Aligning our systems of support, recognition and value with our ambitions are vital to sustaining a culture that attracts, develops and recognises the staff, students and partners that can advance our mission. In many ways, this reflects a maturing of the place and practice of engagement within the institution.

Much of our focus must be on developing the capabilities of our people to support our ambition. In the same way that the University supports and develops academics’ research and teaching practice, we will introduce comprehensive professional development across the domains of engagement, including for our professional staff. Much of this work will be led through the Academic Careers and Capacity Program, ensuring that changes respect our institutional context and the full breadth of expectations of our academic staff.

A focus on physical and digital avenues for engagement will ensure that our strategy as a campus-based, digitally engaged institution makes best use of both. Co-locating with partners and allied institutions will continue to shape the University’s future campus developments. A closer relationship with the city will reflect the University’s identity as a city-based institution. Opportunities to enrich our campuses by digital means offer exciting potential for visitors. Investment in our digital presence will continue to grow, with digital metrics and analytics playing a greater role in the design and evaluation of our engagement efforts.

The broader University community, comprising our alumni and supporters, will continue to share in the University’s life and ambitions. Our focus will be

to support more active engagement of our alumni in the life of the University, reflecting the strong enthusiasm for a deeper connection shown by students, staff and alumni.

Over time, the University’s public profile will evolve to reflect the centrality of engagement to our institutional mission, further supporting our engagement agenda.

ENABLERS

Photographer:TobiasTitz

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ENGAGEMENT THROUGH SPORT



Create an environment that supports, recognises and values engagement as a distinctive and esteemed quality of our institutional character

I. Review established models of recruitment, reward and progression to align performance expectations of academic staff with our ambitions for engagement.

II. Support academic staff to develop tailored engagement priorities, which reinforce and leverage their academic interests, create value for our external constituents and contribute to institutional priorities.

III. Expand the participation of academic staff in engagement-focused sabbaticals, secondments and exchanges to include working across industries and professions, with public policy, through media and communication, through arts and culture and with community organisations.

IV. Support a more strategic contribution of our honorary fellows, joint appointments and specialist academics to our engagement agenda and Growing Esteem.

V. Establish new role classifications—Melbourne Enterprise Professor, Honorary Melbourne Enterprise Professor, and Melbourne Enterprise Fellow—to enable the University to appoint, and appropriately recognise, accomplished professionals and leaders in industry, government and community.

VI. Develop and implement a framework to plan and evaluate the nature, extent and value of engagement for academic staff, keystone engagement programs, academic divisions and the institution, and integrate these with our established systems for performance review, reporting and planning.

VII. Renew the opportunities for student engagement within and beyond the curriculum, ensuring that we facilitate, support and recognise student engagement across all domains valued by students, staff and our professional advisory boards.

Enabling strategies

Photographer:HaoWong

ProvidinganopportunityfortheUniversity’sprofessionalstafftocollaborate,innovateandshareexpertise,theannualProfessionalStaffConferenceisavaluableforumforstafftosharebestpracticemodelsofengagement.

PROFESSIONAL STAFF CONFERENCE

Develop the capabilities of our academic and professional staff to realise the potential of engagement

I. Develop and implement a comprehensive professional development program for academic and professional staff across the domains of engagement, delivered by the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education.

II. Deepen research translation and communication capabilities in our academic and professional staff through professional development, innovation and entrepreneurship programs and expert appointments.

III. Establish and support communities of engagement practice to facilitate peer learning from across the University and share insights from good practices in other institutions and sectors.


Establish engagement as a distinctive and valued attribute of the University’s public profile

I. Establish a leading digital media platform to communicate insights from across the University via a compelling and interactive medium.

II. Apply journey mapping as a strategic tool to tell the story of the University’s constituent experience to guide targeted improvements to enrich the experience.

III. Integrate the University’s engagement capabilities, aspirations and achievements into its brand and external communications.

Meeting our commitment (continued) Enabling strategies

Facilitate rich exchanges with our communities through engaging physical and digital environments

I. Invest in the development of our precincts, including the established Melbourne Biomedical and Biosciences Campus and Southbank arts precinct, and in the emerging precincts of technology, innovation and sustainability at the Carlton Connect Initiative and the public policy precinct at Carlton.

II. Embed engagement—encompassing industry, and public and cultural dimensions—as a foundation principle for the design of all future capital works and redevelopments, with a particular focus on co-locating with partners in new developments.

III. Enliven the campus through digital avenues, supporting scholarly and public events, engaging the University community in a shared conversation about campus life and conveying the University’s heritage, mission and achievements, including the Indigenous heritage of the land.

IV. Harness the distinctive contribution of our colleges in our engagement agenda, including through a greater involvement in the design and delivery of new teaching programs, and our outreach, alumni and advancement efforts.

V. Support the Victorian Government’s Parkville National Employment Cluster, coordinating efforts within the precinct and contributing to economic transformation and employment growth.

VI. Apply digital metrics and analytics to evaluate the reach, resonance and impact of our engagement efforts, and use this information to support fit-for-purpose design and improve user experience.

VII. Broaden access to our knowledge at reduced cost through innovative channels, and build communities of shared interest to foster exchange of material and resources.

VIII. Improve the visibility of our academic staff and their work to external stakeholders, enabling them to easily understand and access our capabilities.

Actively engage our community of alumni and supporters in the University’s life and ambitions

I. Address alumni as one of our key constituencies, recognising their investment in our success to engage them as informed advocates.

II. Work with alumni and supporters to enrich the student experience through mentoring, industry advisory boards, internships and scholarships, and deepen their understanding of our work and its impact.

III. Foster support for the University and its work, achieving and building upon the campaign target of $500m.

IV. Develop the University as a leading philanthropic partner, recognised for the relevance and impact of its endeavours, and reflected in our broadening appeal to donors and maturing internal orientation towards advancement.


Photographer:DavidHannah

TheweeklyFarmersMarketattheParkvillecampusactivatesthecampusandprovidesanopportunitytoconnecttheacademicmissionoftheinstitutionwiththewidercommunitythroughsustainabilitypresentationsandactivities.

FARMERS MARKET

WWW.UNIMELB.EDU.AU

123T3heh2 UT Unhivrst2hU ENGAGEMENT AT 2015

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